


these things take forever (and i especially am slow)

by crosspolination



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: ACTUALLY very Slow Burn, Angst, Birthdays, Everybody Lives, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Ignis and Gladio helpfully being wingmen, M/M, Photoshoots Shenanigans, Prom Night, Prompto and his quest to find his home, Slow Burn, alternative ending, even if they didn't mean to be wingmen. but. now they are, no beta we die like men, so you know how episode prompto had (gestures promptis as a whole), well im just riding off it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-11-22 16:03:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11383608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crosspolination/pseuds/crosspolination
Summary: All his life, Prompto resented the line 'home is where your heart is' because he didn't have a place to call home and he wasn't sure where his heart was.On his quest to finding a home, he certainly didn't expect Prince Noctis, and most importantly — he didn't expect to fall in love with him.





	these things take forever (and i especially am slow)

**Author's Note:**

> episode prompto touched me in my promptis side and i spat out almost 13k words full of promptis this is all square enix's fault
> 
> also. i should clarify. i havent read this over. i promise ill go over the mistakes tomorrow when im Less Sleepy i am So Sorry

 The phrase “home is where your heart is” has always been a bittersweet phrase for Prompto. While he appreciates the sentiment of making the word ‘home’ to take a deeper meaning, he’s not fond of it. He wants to say because it’s ridiculous and because it doesn’t seem too realistic, but it’s just – he doesn’t know where his heart _is_.

Prompto lives with his parents. His parents -- hard-working people, who leave him post-it notes on his fridge when they leave without previous warning; his parents, who stop by once every month, twice if it’s an extreme situation. Their place isn’t the fanciest place in Insomnia, nor the best, but Prompto likes it either way. It’s a good place. But it’s not… it’s not _home_. Prompto grits his teeth at the thought – how hypocritical of him, to dislike the meaning people try to give the word and yet still agreeing with it.

Astrals know he has tried his entire life to make his place feel like a home. He’s bought little fairy lights to decorate his room; he’s bought cacti and houseplants, and a few posters to decorate places like the lounge and his bedroom. It seems like it’s all effortless, because it never quite feels like home. No matter the things he buys, no matter what he does, it’s… it feels empty. It feels hollow and devoid of love. It only feels like it has a life when his parents come over to stay for a day, cooking up a nice meal, but the feeling goes away as soon as they do.

Maybe the problem is not the house. Maybe the problem lied on Prompto and his inability to make friends to bring over, or rather, his fixation on becoming friends with one specific person. The letter from Lady Lunafreya is possibly the only thing that smells good in his house, as it turns out, no matter how many aromatic candles he buys, his house never smells good. He sniffs the card a little and decides to put on his jacket, ready to start school.

He wonders what triggers today’s existential thoughts about his home. Maybe it’s because of the fact that today he’s actually going to talk to Prince Noctis, so his brain decided to give him a distraction for _that_ with a whole load of strange and unwelcomed thoughts.

Maybe it’s because deep down, he knows there’s not a home for people like him, and he should give up altogether in trying to find one.

_Geez, brain! Thank you for the boost of confidence!_

Still, he walks up to Prince Noctis, introduces himself, and it all goes from there.

 

* * *

 

Around the third week of being friends, Noctis asks him to call him _Noct_.

“My friends call me Noct,” he says, eyes never leaving his notebook. “You’re my friend – there is no need to call me Prince Noctis.”

Prompto is beyond flattered. Actual Prince Noctis considers him a friend, and that idea is still a bit hard to process. He tries to come up with a funny comeback that’ll make them both laugh – he finds it that he likes to make the prince _laugh_ – but he opens his mouth and closes it three times before actually smiling.

“Cool, Noct,” he finally says, and it makes Noctis laugh anyways, even if it wasn’t funny at all.

“Do you have the answers for the last exercise?” Noctis carries on, as if he didn’t actually give Prompto the biggest honor of his life. “I can’t wrap my mind around it.”

“Yeah, I do, hang on.”

It kind of feels different when he goes back to his place that day. He and Noctis always walk from school together until they reach the point where they have to separate to go to their own place, and strangely enough, he feels warm all the way to his place.

It’s weird. _Noct_ , he thinks. He and Noctis are actually _friends_. It finally sinks in, as he plops down on the sofa and lets out and incredulous laugh. Who would’ve thought, huh?

He only allows a good twenty-minutes where he just basks in the giddiness and overall _pride_ he feels at finally being able to call Noctis his friend. He wishes for a brief moment that Pryna was around so she could send a letter back to Lady Lunafreya. He wouldn’t say as much as she did on _her_ letter, maybe just a little “thank you” and “I did it!” Oh, well. Maybe one day.

Prompto gets up off the sofa, thinking how it’s been enough celebration on his part. Having a _new_ (and only, his brain supplies) friend didn’t mean he got to change around his entire routine that he’s spent so much time working on. So he puts himself together, forces down his giddiness, and gets ready for the gym.

A run on the morning and his workout session at the gym have kept Prompto going for a while now, he signed up for the gym a few weeks ago when he had saved up enough money to actually pay for one month of membership. It’s good, he has his own member card, and he exchanges words with some people every now and then.

He just needs to find a way to keep it up, because he’s become quite fond of the workout tools and routine he has going on at the gym — he’s been lifting _weights_ now, and hey, a little bit of biceps won’t be any bad, right? So, the best idea he has is to get a part-time job somewhere to pay for the gym. And also, saving money in general isn’t a bad idea either — treating himself to good food wouldn’t be bad at all.

He could balance these things out, of course. He’s befriended Prince N— he’s befriended Noct. He’s pretty much unstoppable now.

 

While he’s running on the treadmill, his music gets interrupted by his phone vibrating. He looks down, frowning, because nobody ever messages him other than his parents — does that mean they’re coming to Insomnia? Setting up the speed so he’s walking on the treadmill now, Prompto unlocks the phone, and finds messages from Noctis. It surprises him more than a message from his parents would have, and he immediately opens them without wasting any more time.

 **Noctis:** hey, what are you up to?

 _What are you up to?_ Like… in life? Prompto’s up to manage to exist every day with himself, he guesses. Maybe he needs to take a break from working out, because his brain is looking into Noctis’ message more than he has to. He stops the treadmill and frowns a little at his screen. What _does_ he have to type back?

 **Prompto:**  Just at the gym! what happened?

Was that… was that okay? Goodness, Prompto wishes someone had taught him how to have friends. He’s sweating, but he’s not sure he’s sweating because of the post-work out effect or because he’s so afraid of screwing up his _texts_ with Noctis. Did he sound too defensive in his text? He didn’t mean to come off as defensive, he’s genuinely curious—

 **Noctis:** nothing nothing! i’m just awfully bored. wanted to see if you wanted to hang out

Prompto, who uncapped his bottle to drink it, is about to squeeze the bottle and let the water go everywhere. He calms down, of course, and takes a deep breath. Yeah, of course, friends hang out. He seriously needs a little manual about how to maintain friendships that says ‘friends text each other to hang out.’

Prompto wipes off the sweat on his forehead and texts back.

 **Prompto:** don’t you have princely duty to do? :P I’m free after this! not FREE, i have a bit of homework but AFTER THAT i’m totally free

He holds back from googling “how do I know if I’m coming off too strong to my new friend”. He _barely_ holds back, though.

 **Noctis:** excuse you i already did it that’s why I’m bored >:( see you at the coffee shop in two hours?

 **Prompto:** of course dude!!

 **Noctis:** :D

Prompto immediately rushes off the treadmill — he _has_ to run to his place, get a shower, do his homework, _and_ be ready to meet Noctis at the coffee shop. He has to look decent for him, right? That’s a thing you do. Friends don’t see you sweaty and struggling with homework, do they? Prompto doesn’t want to repeat himself, but damn, does he need some advice with friendship.

 

Prompto arrives at the coffee shop two hours later as he promised, and luckily doesn’t have to look for Noctis too much as he’s sitting by the window, eating muffins and drinking his coffee. He perks up when Prompto sits down across the booth, closing the little notebook he had opened. He looks better than usual. Maybe it’s because Prompto is so used to seeing him with his school uniform that Noctis wearing black jeans and a white t-shirt seem so different.

(Prompto notes that preparing a better outfit was definitely a good idea. Noctis looked effortlessly good even out of the school uniform. He just hopes he looks decent with a red tank top and his normal kind-of-old jeans. He also hopes Noctis doesn’t realize he spent a decent thirty minutes combing his hair.)

“Hey,” Noctis says, completely unaware of Prompto’s little breakdown. “I ordered you some coffee. You can have my muffin, if you want.”

Prompto smiles nervously. A muffin, after the gym? He doesn’t want to say _no_ because Noctis saved it for him, but also… calories… This is going to be tough. He doesn’t think Noctis signed up for the long list of body issues, so he doesn’t say anything and accepts the muffin either way.

“You’re the best!” he exclaims. “I’m totally paying you back later!”

Noctis shakes his head. “C’mon. It’s on me. Don’t worry about that.”

Before Prompto is able to protest that he _is_ going to pay him, the waitress arrives with his coffee — a cappuccino, _nice_ — and his words die on his throat when he starts drinking the coffee. Noctis seems satisfied, because he starts talking about how he was reviewing some political paper and considers the coffee topic to be forgotten.

“It’s long and boring,” Noctis sighs. “I’m fifteen. I just wanna play videogames.”

“Me too,” Prompto says. “I mean, not that _I’m_ doing any political papers, just — it’s the age where we don’t wanna do anything besides playing videogames.”

Noctis snorts a little. “Yeah, my advisor says it’s a phase and I should be growing out of it soon.” He shrugs. “What he doesn’t know is that I’m already planning on buying new games.”

Prompto laughs. Noctis’ advisor seemed like quite a character — he knows he’s strict, he knows he’s also Noctis’ friend, and he knows he works more than any person should ever. He’s a bit too intimidated to meet such a man, and really hopes the day he has to be judged by Noctis’ advisor doesn’t come.

“You wanna do anything after this?” Noctis adds after a second of silence.

“Oh, yeah. I brought my camera with me,” he says, pointing at it hanging around his neck, “and I was thinking you could join me at my photo session today?”

“Photo session?” Noctis’ eyebrows shoot up a little. “What’s that about?”

“Y’know, Insomnia is quite nice,” Prompto hums. “There’s a lot to take photos of. So I like to find cool models for my album.”

“What’s the album about?”

“Nothing, really,” he shrugs, “I suppose I’m taking photos for fun. Who knows? Maybe they’ll bring me money in the future!” he winks, and Noctis laughs. It’s a good sound, and Prompto celebrates a little for getting the sound out of him.

“Okay then,” Noctis nods. “Let’s go do that.”

 

 

 

“What’s your usual model? Like what do you usually take pictures of?”

The sea is staring back at them. They’re on top of a hill, usually where Prompto goes to find something to snap pictures of. They _could_ go to the bridge, but frankly, Prompto’s legs kind of hurt after all the workout in the gym. It was leg day today, after all.

“Dogs,” Prompto replies easily. “If you offer them a treat they’re your best friends for life. Wonderful models — camera loves ‘em!”

“I can bet,” Noctis smiles. “I don’t see any dogs, though.”

Prompto sighs. “Yeah, I saw. It’s a very sad day.” He stops, staring down. “But you can make a model out of everything if you try hard enough!”

“How so?”

He searches the ground for any answer, and then he finds a small round rock. He grins, picking it up, and showing it to Noctis.

“It’s just a rock,” Noctis points out unhelpfully.

“Nope! This rock? A natural model,” he extends it to Noctis, who takes it, even if he’s a bit confused. “Alright, hold it up.”

Noctis does as he’s told, but Prompto purses his lips.

“No, no, hold it _Lion King_ style.”

Noctis actually kneels down and holds it high. Prompto laughs loudly. “Dude! Perfect! Holy crap, stay right there,” he says, fiddling with his camera, getting the right filter for this _glorious_ moment.

“My arms hurt, Prompto!”

“Don’t be whiny!” Prompto replies without thinking, and for a brief moment, he stares up horrified believing that Noctis might’ve been offended. But when he looks up, Noctis has his eyes closed and he’s shaking with laughter, so without thinking twice he snaps the pic.

It’s come out better than he intended. Noctis hurries to stare at the pic with him, laughing incredulously, and it’s not like Prompto is keeping track of how many times he’s made him laugh. (He is.)

“You’re really good at this, Prompto,” Noctis comments after he’s done laughing. Prompto flushes slightly. “How did you learn about photography?”

“Internet at three in the morning is a very helpful tool,” he replies. “Also, just… practice? I’m nowhere as good as other people, but I’m trying my best.”

“I think you’re doing great,” Noctis pats his back, and now Prompto is _very flushed_. “Come on, we got more models to snap pics from! Do you think crabs make good models?”

“ _Dude_ ,” he breathes. “Now you’re talking!”

It’s surprising how much fun he has. Usually, taking pics doesn’t quite qualify as _fun_ for Prompto. He enjoys taking pictures and he sees it as something to lose stress on. He doesn’t make it _fun_ , it’s relaxing, it’s quiet, and sometimes it’s really fun when a dog ends up licking his face. But this is just plain fun. Noctis makes him laugh more than he’s ever had in his life, and it’s weird to think about it but it’s also the truth.

He ends up filling his camera roll, and Noctis offers to join him to buy a new SD card for it. They’re riding off some strange after-photoshoot kind of happiness, because Prompto is giggling at everything and Noctis is smiling a lot, so much that the guy behind the counter asks them what’s so funny. Everything, Prompto wants to answer. Noctis makes everything funny.

They both reach the usual point where they go separate ways to go back to their place. Noctis scratches his head. “You wanna hang out tomorrow again? We could go to the arcade, if you want?”

Prompto grins. “Dude! Of course! Remind me to change my SD card for tomorrow!”

“Will do. Bye, Prompto!”

“Bye, Noct!”

The walk back to his place is more energetic than usual, until he opens his door and he’s met with silence. He says, _I’m home!_ almost ironically at this point, and the only thing that replies back to him is silence. He tries to not let it get him down, he tries to think about the good day he had, but his house is so cold and empty compared to hanging out with Noctis that he can’t help the way it messes with his head.

He distracts himself by cooking instant noodles, trying to watch a movie, and finally just settling into his bed. He closes his eyes and hopes that if he sleeps earlier, his thoughts will leave him alone faster.

His phone buzzes.

 **Noctis:** don’t forget to change your sd card nerd

Prompto smiles and the warmth he felt is back, even if it’s a tiny part of it.

 **Prompto:** who’re you calling nerd, nerd

_Noctis is typing…_

Prompto doesn’t sleep early that night.

 

* * *

 

He starts believing that the arcade is his new home.

It’s the place he and Noctis frequent the most. Prompto is familiarized with everything on it — he knows the stains on the floors, he knows what to do to make really old games work, he knows how to get the vending machine to give him what he wants and he knows Noctis’ favorite games. It’s been four months, and it’s such a strange routine that they have created that Prompto now respects — school, arcade, gym, part-time job, photo session, sleep. Noctis is in half of those activities, and it’s still a wild thing for Prompto, to think of how things were before Noctis came into his life.

Sappiness for his friend aside, he probably spends more time at the arcade than at his house. The arcade is actually warm, and it has a unique smell — it smells like _fun_ , and it has junk food that he might regret eat later, but that taste delicious when he’s with Noctis playing Justice Monsters 3 or 4, while watching the trailer for the fifth one over and over again. The fun disco-like music on it and the people who run the arcade, they’re all familiar.

He tells himself it’s his home, but then again — he gets this feeling only when he’s with Noctis. He’s come by the arcade when Noctis is busy with royal things, and it’s… it’s strange, because he has fun, but he… misses him? He gets a high-score on their favorite game, and he turns around to tell Noctis only for his mood to drop when he realizes he’s not there.

He still struggles with the concept of home, but he’s getting there.

_(He’s not getting there.)_

Speaking of Noctis, he’s not around today. He told Prompto he has a political meeting today, so he’d be in the Citadel for half of the day. The arcade feels empty without Noctis, without someone who follows him up with a joke, and without someone to take pictures with. His routine is a bit destroyed, so he cuts up his time on the arcade and goes to the gym longer than his usual one hour.

His phone buzzes when he’s getting out of the gym and Noctis’ little photo shows up on the screen. He picks up a bit more excited than he expected.

“Noct!” he greets. “How are you?”

“ _Tiiiired_ ,” Noctis yawns. Prompto chuckles heartily. “ _Can I come over to your place? Promise I won’t fall asleep._ ”

“Sure, dude,” Prompto says sarcastically. “You won’t fall asleep. Sure.”

“ _I promise,_ ” Noctis says again, “ _I just wanna hang out with you_.”

“You don’t even know where my house is,” Prompto replies, laughing nervously. He’s a bit flustered now. “How will you come over?”

“ _Just send your location!_ ”

“Okay, fine,” Prompto sighs, fondly. “I’ll see you back there.”

“ _You’re the best._ ”

Prompto laughs and hangs up. Before he realizes, he runs back to his house to jump into the shower and clean up his house as fast as he can. His hair is still wet, and there are some drops of water across halls from him not being dry, but hey — his house is not dusty anymore. Just when he’s about to plop down on the sofa, his doorbell rings.

He drags himself up to the door, opens it, and Noctis looks equally tired as he is. He musters up a smile for Prompto, and it warms him up entirely. He’s a bit more awake now, actually.

“Hey,” finally Noctis says, softly. “Can I come in?”

“Yes, _yes_ ,” Prompto steps aside, letting him in. “Uh, I’m sorry about any messes — I just got out of the shower!”

“Pfft, it’s okay. You should see my bedroom,” he enters, laughing a bit. “Where’s… your sofa?”

Prompto smiles knowingly. “You wanna sleep there, don’t you?”

Noctis rolls his eyes. “Listen…” he laughs slightly. “No, I wanna play videogames.”

“Sure, buddy.”

Noctis is so sleepy. He’s hilarious, and Prompto’s never seen him like this. He’s clumsy. Noctis walks through his kitchen to grab food, and he’s giggling at everything. He tripped three times trying to get back to the sofa with a bag of chips on his hands. It’s a weird sight because Prompto’s not used to seeing him so off-guard and so… silly? Noctis is aloof and silly, but never been this clumsy.

He takes a picture (or twenty) of him, and Noctis even does a stupid pose where he covers half of his face, and maybe his tiredness is catching up with Prompto or maybe he missed Noctis too much because suddenly he’s laughing like the pose was the funniest thing in his life.

As he predicted, Noctis starts napping on his sofa next to Prompto. He wonders briefly how he’s able to do it, because his head is almost resting on his shoulder and he’s already snoring like he’s never slept in his life.

It makes his heart do a little flip with how much affection he has for his best friend. He panics a little at the thought of _best friend_ , but… Noctis _is_ his best friend. He trembles a little and it’s stupid because he just —

He has never cared about someone as much as he cares about Noctis.

Obviously, he cares about his parents. Whenever they’re around, Prompto cares about them. And even when they don’t talk much, or nearly enough as they should, Prompto still cares about them.

But Noctis…

He’s special. Prompto cares so much about him; sometimes it gets a bit overwhelming. It’s been four months, almost five, and the way he fits into his life so easily blows him away every single time. He wonders what it is — he wonders if it’s because Noct is so _Noct_ on his own way. He wonders if it’s because he’s such a genuine and kind person, if it’s because he has a silly sense of humor, if it’s because he loves sleeping and he loves to eat, or because he’s so caring or — all of it. Prompto wonders if there is something he dislikes about Noctis, and there are a few things. Sometimes he zones out entirely and doesn’t listen to anyone _at all_ , sometimes he’s the most stubborn person on earth, but when he thinks about it… it doesn’t make Prompto like him any less.

Noctis is special. It’s not about his royal status; it’s never been about it. Noctis is special, Noctis is his first friend. Noctis is _Noctis_ , and he chooses to spend time with Prompto, he chooses to be with him, and it’s mind-blowing because Prompto is just _him_ — how did someone like him end up with a friend like Noctis?

The little barcode on his arm tickles when he thinks about it, almost like reminding him he doesn’t deserve a friend like Noctis. He uses so much willpower to drive the thoughts away, to focus on his _best_ friend, and to focus on how the house feels different with Noctis in it.

One of the cupboards back at the kitchen is opened. The bag of chips is in front of them, on the little table, Noctis’ shoes are next to his TV, and Noctis himself is on his sofa sleeping, and it’s _warm_. His house feels full, unlike every other time he’s been on it. The mess makes it seem like it’s _lived_ in, it makes it seem like his house has a _life_.

It strangely feels like home.

His best friend is sleeping on his sofa, and the fact alone makes Prompto feel relaxed. The tiredness he feels from the gym comes crashing upon him, making him fall asleep right on the spot.

He gets up to find Noctis doing dinner on the kitchen, and Prompto arches an eyebrow. “You can cook?”

“I’m trying,” Noctis clarifies from the kitchen. “Ignis told me to get better at it _. The future King should know how to cook_ , you know the usual rant,” he sighs. “You up for some food poisoning?”

“Uhhh, not really,” he stretches, yawning. “I invite you to my house and you try to kill me. What kind of best friend are you?”

Oh, Astrals. He’s said it now.

Noctis only turns around to offer him a smirk. “The _best_ kind. You should be glad your best friend is cooking food for you. I’m supposed to be your guest _and_ I’m the _prince_.”

Oh, Astrals. The best friend thing is _mutual_. Prompto actually stays speechless for a moment.

“I’m kidding,” Noctis adds, laughing a bit at Prompto’s disbelieving face. “It’s fun. I don’t mind cooking.”

_They’re best friends!_

“You want me to help?” Prompto asks, trying to get himself together. “By that I mean if you’d like me to take some pictures while you do all the work.”

Noctis chuckles, “Sure. Why not? I’ll have solid evidence to show to Specs that I _am_ responsible.”

Truth be told, Noctis is not a bad cook. He’s just a messy one. He cooked the pizza, but in the process, he spilled flour on the floor, tainted Prompto’s and his own clothes with salsa, and somehow managed to cut his finger while trying to cut the pizza. So now they’re both sitting on the floured floor, with Noctis having a bandaged finger and the house being a mess.

“The house’s a mess,” Prompto says out loud, reaching out for a slice of pizza.

Noctis looks down at their clothes filled with salsa and now even more flour, and sighs. “So are we.”

 _Weird_ , Prompto thinks as he sees the awful state of his kitchen.

His house has never felt this much like home.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It’s Noctis’ birthday a few days later.

He calls Noctis at midnight, and surprisingly, he picks up on the first beep. “Dude!” Prompto grins widely on his bed. “Happy birthday!”

Noctis lets out a small laugh. “You’re so punctual,” he says. “Thank you.”

“Are you throwing any wild parties?”

Noctis sighs. “No, just… I’m gonna be away all day. I’m gonna be at the Citadel,” he sighs, this time deeply. “It’s cool ‘cause I get to see my dad and be with him, I just don’t want _everybody_ there.”

“Aw, dude,” Prompto says, searching for any words of encouragement he could say. His brain is blanking out, as it always does in important situations. “That sucks.”

Wow, Prompto. You’re a great friend, aren’t you?

“It does,” Noctis says like he didn’t hear Prompto’s underwhelming response. “Sucks that you can’t be there either. Would’ve been a lot more fun.”

“Yeah, but I get it,” Prompto’s thoughts drift off to the barcode on his wrist. The gods would know _what_ the Citadel would do if they found out the prince has a friend with strange coding on his wrist. His throat closes for a second and he forces it to open again. “It would be too weird if they let a pleb like me on such an important party.”

He’s not in the same room as Noctis, but it’s so strange how _easy_ he can picture him frowning when he speaks again.

“Don’t be like that,” he groans. “You’re my best friend. They would let you in.”

Prompto laughs nervously. “Yeah, okay,” he hurries to change topic, because hey – no one had ever called him out on a self-depreciating thought before. This is new. Also, the _best friend_ drop again. Prompto can’t deal with this at midnight. “Dude, just…” he hesitates. “If you’re free at any time, I have your present ready for you.”

“You didn’t have—”

“Yes, I had to! No takebacks, Noct,” he laughs. Then, he hurries to add, “I mean, of course you can reject my gift, I mean… yeah…”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Noctis laughs too. “I’m… I just…”

“You just?”

“You don’t need to give me gifts,” he says quickly, stumbling a bit over his words. “I’m just happy you’re my friend. That’s… That’s a good gift.”

Prompto’s heart stops beating for a moment. He’s pretty sure he’s ascended and that he is now in the afterlife, just chilling. Being dead feels nice. He pictures his tombstone: Prompto Argentum, killed by his best friend’s sappy words.

“…Prompto?”

Oh, yeah, he hadn’t replied at all.

“Warn a guy before saying those things,” he says, a bit out of breath. “Dude. Me too.” He swallows. “I’m glad we’re friends.” And before Noctis even dares to make their sappy moment even sappier, he adds, “Okay, just! Have a nice birthday! I’ll see you later!”

“See you!”

He puts his phone down, saving it beneath his pillow, and brings his hand to his chest. His heart is racing and his face is burning. A big grin spreads across his features, and he tries his best to focus on this feeling of warmth and happiness to block out the negative thoughts.

Later on the day, Noctis isn’t around. Other than a couple of texts here and there, Prompto spends most of his time doing his usual routine. With a strange sense of detachment, in the middle of his workout routine, he remembers he has to buy groceries to re-stock his house, and decides to hit up the supermarket after the gym. He’s aware he’s looking like a bit of a mess with his baggy white t-shirt and brown sweatpants, but he can’t really be bothered to care. It’s not like he’s going to run into anybody while shopping.

 _Famous last words_ , his brain says almost sarcastically when he sees Noctis’ advisor on the supermarket.

Prompto swallows and pretends to stare down at his basket full of groceries. He and Ignis aren’t on the _best_ speaking terms. They’re not even on speaking terms to begin with — he spoke to him once after he came to pick up Noctis from his house when Noctis cooked the pizza, and that’s all he’s ever done. What does he have to do now? Has Ignis even _noticed_ him? And in case he did notice him, should Prompto go up to him?

Now he does feel inadequate about his clothes and going to the shop straight after the gym.

He’s so focused on his own thoughts and on his basket that he doesn’t notice Ignis standing in front of him.

“What a pleasant surprise,” Ignis greets him, a small smile forming on his lips. “Prompto, right?”

Prompto definitely doesn’t _yelp_. “Y-yes! Ignis. You’re Noct’s advisor. I mean, Prince Noctis’ advisor. We met a few days ago.”

“I remember.” His eyes quickly scan Prompto, and Prompto wants to die. “You look tired. Are you alright?”

“Oh, yeah, it’s nothing,” Prompto waves him off, expecting to get the analyzing glance off of him. “I just got out of the gym and remembered my house is a bit empty so, you know. Can’t get home without food, right?” he laughs as a reflex, because he sure as hell didn’t say anything funny.

“Very true indeed. In fact, it’s why I’m here too,” he explains, going over to the shelves. Prompto follows him. “I am looking for ingredients for His Highness’ birthday cake, as my usual source is closed for today. Truth be told, I am a bit lost. I don’t frequent this shop often. Do you happen to know where I can get these ingredients?”

He passes Prompto a list. Flour, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, cocoa powder… yeah, okay, Prompto knew where to get them. Thank _gods_ — he didn’t want to look forward to making a fool of himself in front of Noctis’ advisor.

“Yeah, sure — you want me to tell you or do you want to follow me?”

“I would much rather follow you, if you are not in a hurry.”

“Nah, dud— I mean, no. My shift is two hours.”

Ignis nods. “May I ask what do you work as?”

“Oh! I’m working at a camera shop. It’s quite fun. I like it!” Stop talking, Ignis doesn’t care. “Plus, it surprisingly pays well! I make enough to sustain myself!” _Stop oversharing!_

If only his brain understood that.

Ignis seems to want to ask something by the way he stares at Prompto, surprised, but apparently decides better. Prompto is thankful for it — he knows that if Ignis asked the right question, he would probably spill his entire life story and he would also say that he has been living off cup noodles for five days because he’s been procrastinating coming to the store.

“I am glad you have fun at your job,” Ignis offers instead of his question. “His Highness doesn’t seem too excited about starting his part-time job, so maybe he could get influenced by your own positivity.”

Prompto chuckles, “Yeah. I heard him complain a lot about how they’re taking away his napping time,” and suddenly, all his thoughts start spinning around Noctis. Would it be okay for him to ask about him? He’s already talking before he can even weigh the pros and cons. “How’s Noct today?”

“Ah, he is quite well. He has been complaining about missing you already.”

Prompto stops dead on his tracks. “R-really?”

“Yes,” Ignis says, pushing up his glasses. “Other than his usual, well, whining, he’s been chatting all day with his guests and spending time with His Majesty. I would say he is having a nice day.”

“I’m glad,” Prompto replies — he’s still thinking about what Ignis said. He stops Ignis and points out at the shelves in front of them. “Here are some ingredients. I’m not sure what brand you want, so, y’know, go wild.”

Ignis laughs slightly at that, and it’s somehow calming to know he doesn’t think Prompto is a big mess. Prompto guides him through the supermarket, making idle small talk, and it’s a bit surreal. He’s actually talking to someone who has known Noctis longer than he has; someone who is part of the entire world that exists with Noctis beyond what he knows. It’s a bit weird to think about how there is this whole side of his best friend that he is completely unaware of.

Then again, aren’t there a lot of things that Noctis is completely unaware of about him?

 _Not now_ , he chastises his brain. When he zones back in, Ignis has half of the ingredients already on his basket, and when he’s about to continue asking for Prompto to lead the way, someone touches his shoulder.

“Hey, Iggy,” says Noctis’ shield, and Prompto’s throat goes dry. _Great_. The one time he’s not well-dressed to come to the supermarket and he has to run into two of the most important people in Noctis’ life. “Monica was getting worried about you. Why are you here?”

“Well, my usual shop is closed, so the supermarket seemed like the best option,” Ignis replies calmly. “Prompto here was being kind and helping me around the place.”

The shield’s eyes divert from Ignis to Prompto, and Prompto really wishes he was at his house right now. He grins.

“Oh, it’s you!” he says. “You’re not skipping class anymore, are you?”

Ignis eyes him suspiciously, and Prompto really wants to die right now. He was leaving _such a good impression_ , damn it. He scratches his head, smiling nervously.

“Ha,” he chokes out, feeling dead inside. “No, not anymore, sir.”

“Gladio,” he corrects. “Loosen up, kid!”

Prompto laughs nervously again.

“I beg you to not tease him anymore as he is being quite helpful with my shopping list,” Ignis says, gesturing to Prompto to lead the way. “If he weren’t here, His Highness’ cake would not be ready in time.”

“I don’t think Noct minds _when_ you prepare his cake, as long as you’re the one making it,” Gladio snorts. “Hey, Prompto. You know it’s Noct’s birthday, right?”

“Uh, yeah,” Prompto says. “I called him at midnight to wish him a happy birthday! He told me he was gonna be busy today so I just… haven’t seen him.”

Gladio purses his lips. “He’s really busy. I’ve never seen him force so many smiles in one day; it’s both horrifying and hilarious.” Ignis snorts a bit at that. “I’m pretty sure he has no idea who he’s greeting anymore.”

“Well, he has never been good at paying attention to his guest list, has he?” Ignis hums, holding back a laugh. “I have found the baking powder.”

“That’s great,” Prompto comments, just to say something.

He feels a bit left out, if he’s honest. They know Noctis so well. And Prompto knows him, too, but not the way _they_ do. It’s different in a way he can’t pinpoint — it’s like they belong with Noctis, and Prompto…

 _You don’t belong there_ , his brain, helpful as always, says. _You don’t belong in their home._

Fun times!

“What did you get him?” Gladio asks, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Prompto blushes slightly. These guys are _royalty_. Their gifts would’ve been so much better and more expensive than Prompto’s, he doesn’t want to embarrass himself and show just how much of a pleb he actually is.

“Ah, nothing expensive,” he begins with _that_. Now they _know_ he’s self-conscious about his money. Hell. “Just… I saved up for a polaroid.”

“A polaroid?” Ignis asks, a bit surprised.

Prompto blushes even more.

“Yeah, I… you know, I work at the camera store,” he fiddles with his hair a little to keep calm. “I thought a polaroid was a nice present. You know, framing moments and keeping them saved in an album or a box. I don’t know, I thought it was nice.” And it _is_ nice. He strengthens himself a little. “And if he doesn’t like that, well, I got him a fish plushie.”

Gladio laughs. “Did you actually?”

“Yeah! Got it at the arcade in the claw machine,” Prompto grins. “Won it for him, but since he wasn’t there that day, I just saved it and now it’s gonna be his birthday present.”

“I am sure he will love those presents,” Ignis says, smiling. “They are very thoughtful.”

“Thank you,” Prompto answers sincerely. “I tried.”

“I do not wish to cut our meeting short, but don’t you have a part-time job you should be getting ready for?”

Prompto squeaks. “Holy shit!” Immediately, he slaps a hand over his mouth, much to Ignis and Gladio’s amusement. “Sorry, I mean — holy crap! You’re right!”

He fishes inside his pocket to get out his wallet ready to pay for his groceries. “Ah, it was nice talking to you guys,” Prompto grins, because even if he had a bit of a crisis it was kind of fun. “Tell Noct I said hi! And also to save me one slice of cake!”

“Will do,” says Ignis. “It was a pleasure to actually speak to you. You _are_ as fun as Noct endlessly says you are.”

He blushes more than he expected, and he just has to turn away and run to the cashier because Prompto is an awkward person sometimes. _Sometimes_ , talking to people is not what he does best. Sometimes his brain reminds him he’s still a bit shy and he has to run away. Just like he did now.

He pays up, goes back to his place, and he can’t stop thinking about this meeting when he’s on the shower.

He’s not sure exactly what impression he left on both of them, but… they didn’t seem to hate him, at least. Ignis _did_ mention he was “as fun as Noct says he is”, so that must mean something. He smiles subconsciously at the thought of Noctis talking non-stop about him, and he kind of wishes to know how Noctis sees him. It would probably help his self-esteem or destroy it even more.

He purposefully avoids staring at the barcode when he steps out of the shower.

It’s only hours later after he gets back to his house that he finds time to check his phone, and he’s surprised to actually find texts from Noctis.

 **Noctis:** UGGGGHHHHHH

Wow, caps lock. He was being serious about his _ugh_.

 **Noctis:** i want to take the longest freaking nap in the world you have no idea

 **Noctis:** it’s my birthday this is illegal

Prompto smiles. Slowly, it begins to dawn on him how much he has missed Noctis today.

 **Prompto:** come to my place so you can sleep :P cmon how was your party?

 **Noctis:** i might just go to your place it sounds GREAT

 **Noctis:** not bad. i’m just tired. I spent a lot of time with dad and it was great! Specs made a great cake too

Prompto wonders briefly if Ignis mentioned their little meeting, but then realizes he really didn’t have to do that.

 **Noctis:** you?

 **Prompto:**  ah, same old! Actually i went to the supermarket and BOUGHT FOOD so now i’m not about to die so that’s a success!!!

 **Noctis:** i leave for one day and suddenly you’re productive

 **Prompto:** you’re a bad influence :P

 **Noctis:** i’m a bad influence, says the guy who suggests skipping biology classes every day

 **Prompto:** YEAH I SUGGEST YOU’RE THE ONE WHO DOES IT

 **Prompto:** i’m just a bad behavior enabler

 **Noctis:** sure let’s pretend you’re not an awful influence on me if it makes you feel better

 **Prompto:** rude >:(

 **Noctis:** fuck i need to get back to receiving guests. Why do they keep coming?

 **Noctis:** I’ll come back later

 **Prompto:** good luck dude!!!! you can do it!!!!

 **Noctis:** :D

Prompto feels a bit ridiculous for getting so giddy over simple texts, but in his defense: they haven’t talked all day and he really misses Noctis. He finds himself hoping his own party doesn’t drain him too much, and though he misses him, he’s kind of glad he’s not there at that party. Too many guests, too much noise, not enough time with Noctis.

Dinner is quiet. He’s actually glad to finally prepare decent food and not cup noodles — they’re lifesavers, but actually preparing a good salad is the most satisfying feeling in the world. He welcomes the quiet after this surprising hectic day, and tries to not ruin it with his own thoughts. He can do it.

To his own surprise, he succeeds. He checks the clock and it’s already nine, so there is no chance to actually see Noctis today. He could give him his presents tomorrow, no big deal.

When he’s comfortably settled on his bed, ready to drift off, someone rings on the doorbell.

He slips his glasses on and steps out of his bedroom. Carefully, he grabs his broom — maybe not the most effective weapon ever, but still. He hesitates to open, and then the doorbell rings again.

“Noct?” he asks out loud, a bit terrified. Nobody knows his address besides him and Ignis, and he doubts Ignis would want to pay him a visit.

“Yeah,” Noctis says from outside. Prompto sighs, relieved, and unlocks the door.

Noctis didn’t even bother to change from his suit. He’s impeccably dressed all in black, completely buttoned up and actually wearing his tie correctly, not half-done like he usually does.

“I’m so tired,” Noctis says, stepping in. Prompto closes the door behind him, laughing.

“Dude!”

He wonders if it’s the fact that he hasn’t seen his best friend on his own birthday what makes him jump at him and give him the biggest hug of his life. Noctis gasps, obviously not expecting Prompto squeezing him, but he’s quick to hug him back. He’s warm and he smells like very expensive cologne, but it’s _Noctis_ and yeah he’s missed him a lot.

Before he lets himself indulge in Noctis’ scent and whole body, he grabs him by his waist and picks him up, effectively making Noctis squeak out a half-amused, half-terrified, “Prompto!”

“You’re sixteen now! You’re _old_!” he laughs, putting Noctis down. Noctis is shaking with laughter, eyes closed, and it takes him a while to calm down.

“I didn’t know you had that much strength,” he confesses once he puts himself together. He looks genuinely impressed.

Prompto flexes his biceps. “I lift, bro.”

Noctis groans loudly. “I swear to god.”

“Wanna go to my bedroom? I have your presents there!”

He nods, so Prompto leads him to his bedroom where there are two folded packages on his top shelf. He puts them down and goes back to where Noctis is now sitting on his bed. “Aw, Prompto.”

“No _aw’s_ until you’ve opened them,” he says, pushing the presents on his lap. Some of his nerves start creeping up, so he swallows and continues, “and, uh, I hope you like them?”

He opens the first gift curiously, and then opens the box with less patience than before. The laugh he lets out is a surprised one filled with glee, and Prompto swears his eyes are glistening when he picks up the big fish plushie he won at the arcade.

“You actually got it!” Noctis smiles, rising up his fish. “Holy crap, Prompto, this is amazing.”

Prompto giggles. “I’m glad you like him. What’s gonna be his name?”

“Hmmm… how about… Herbert.”

“Herbert,” Prompto says back. “…Are you sure?”

“Yeah. This is Herbert Herbious The Great.”

Prompto closes his eyes, letting out an exasperated but fond sigh — one that is probably impossible to make, but for Noctis, it is possible. “Sure, whatever. It’s your fish. Open the next one!”

Noctis does as he’s told, and this time, his reaction is a more awed one. “A polaroid?”

“I thought you might like it,” Prompto explains, now _definitely_ nervous. “I mean… taking photos is cool, but polaroids are _cooler_. And fancy. I don’t know — I thought it was going to be a good idea? I can change the present if you want—”

“No, no,” Noctis hurries to stop him, holding the camera on his hands. He looks up to Prompto and pats the spot next to him, and it takes Prompto a good while to figure out he’s asking for him to sit down. “Let’s take a pic.”

“You’re taking it?”

“Of course, it’s _my_ polaroid,” Noctis says like it’s obvious. “Don’t make fun of my photography skills.”

“I would never.”

Noctis holds the camera up. Yeah, his angle is a bit off, Prompto would move it a bit to the right, but this is Noctis’ polaroid, not Prompto’s perfectionist camera. He grins and does a little peace sign, and unexpectedly, Noctis puts his arm around him. He takes a pic and it comes out of the polaroid like it should.

Prompto grins. “Look! Your first polaroid pic!”

“Do I have to shake it now?” Noctis asks, already shaking.

“Not _too_ strong. Do it gently!”

“ _Fine_.”

The pic shows up correctly after a while of Noctis shaking it, and Prompto almost combusts with joy over how _happy_ they look. He kind of wants to ask Noctis for it, but then… Noctis is staring at it fondly, like it’s the first time he’s seen himself and Prompto on a picture, even if they already have a million together.

“I love this,” Noctis says, and Prompto doesn’t know if he’s talking about the picture or the polaroid. “Thank you, Prompto, you didn’t have to.”

“Of course I had to! You’re my best friend!” he says, a bit sheepish, but still grinning.

Noctis smiles back. “Do you have any spare pajamas? I’m staying here to sleep.”

“Dude. Really?”

“Yup. I don’t think anybody misses me at the party right now. It’s time to sleep.”

“ _Wait_ ,” Prompto says, closing his closet. “The party is still going?”

“Yeah, it’s barely nine.”

“W… what… shouldn’t you be _there_?”

“Nah, I ran away.”

“ _You escaped your own party_.”

“I’m sleepy!”

“Dude, you’re just—” Prompto snorts, opening the closet and digging for any old pajamas Noctis could use. “You’re incredible,” he finishes, throwing Noctis an old beige t-shirt and some sweatpants.

“I know,” he smirks. Prompto flips him off. “Besides, I wanted to see you. I missed you today.”

“Oh…” Prompto scratches his head, suddenly very aware of his best friend changing his clothes in front of him. “Yeah, I missed you too.”

“Also, Iggy said he was saving you two slices of cake, so I don’t know _how_ he knew you’d want cake, but he wanted me to tell you that.” Noctis finally finishes getting dressed, putting the shirt over his head. “He’ll probably bring them over tomorrow when he comes to pick me up.”

“Please tell him he’s a godsend,” that makes Noctis laugh. Before Prompto knows it, Noctis is already plopping down on his bed, bringing himself close to the wall and covering up with the blankets.

“Aren’t you gonna get in here too?” Noctis asks, peeking out of the blanket. “There’s space for both of us.”

He’s got a good point. Prompto _is_ really tired. He takes off his glasses, putting them on his desk, and finally he slips underneath the blanket, too.

It’s ten times warmer than when Prompto was underneath them earlier.

“Thanks, Prompto,” Noctis says, almost inaudible. “Good night.”

“’Night.”

A few moments later, Noctis is already sleeping like a rock, and Prompto feels warm everywhere.

He looks over to Noctis, fast asleep, and thinks about how he escaped his own party to come to Prompto’s house without any hesitation. It’s _stupid_ and it’s _sappy_ and _ridiculous_ but he can’t stop thinking about how Noctis belonged there, in his house.

His heart skips a beat.

_Is this place finally home?_

 

 

* * *

 

 

 Or maybe, he thinks two years later, his home is Noctis’ apartment.

Maybe his biggest achievement so far was getting invited over to Noctis’ apartment. They always hung out at Prompto’s place, not because they _decided_ on it, but because Noctis always just showed up without any kind of explanation. He would text Prompto to ask him if he’s free and if he could come over, and that was it. Prompto didn’t complain, since Noctis’ presence on his house is more than welcomed. Plus, it seemed like Noctis actually liked being there – the way he walked around like it was his own house was very telling for Prompto.

And then, one day after school, he had just said, “Wanna come over? Specs is gonna be cooking pasta tonight.”

Of course Prompto played it cool like getting invited over to the prince’s apartment wasn’t a big deal. Except it _was_ , and it had only taken him one year to get in his apartment. Compared to Prompto’s tiny house, Noctis’ place was _huge_. He had a _guest room_. Like, an actual guest room, which kind of became Prompto’s room two years later.

He still lives at his house, of course, but he spends so much time at Noctis’ apartment he can’t help but feel this might be it — that after years of not feeling comfortable with his own skin and his own place, he finally found a place to call home, with his best friend.

It’s their senior year, and to be honest, Prompto is beyond surprised that he actually made it through high school with decent grades. This last week was just them going because they had to — they _could_ skip classes, but A): Ignis wouldn’t want them to, B): the teachers told them not to so they wouldn’t miss any bonding time with their classmates because it _is_ their last year, and C): hilariously enough, Noctis is the one organizing prom this year.

“I can’t believe you said yes,” laughs Prompto, turning around to talk to Noctis. Everybody is talking and the teacher is just sitting on the desk going over his own files, so hey, he can spend all day talking to Noctis if he wants. “What do you even know about organizing prom?”

“Absolutely _nothing_ ,” Noctis replies, looking up from the papers on his hands. “I’m lost.”

“Why did you even accept?”

“I panicked and I didn’t know how to say no,” Noctis groans. “I’m gonna ask Ignis later, of course.”

“Of course,” Prompto agrees. “If anyone could organize prom, it’d be Ignis.”

“He’ll probably get mad that I didn’t tell him when they assigned me to, but, I’m desperate. It’s on _Friday_ , Prompto.”

“I’m aware,” he laughs. Before he asks Noctis if there is something he could do to help, someone taps on his shoulder. He turns around, and two girls are staring at them. “Oh, hey?”

Prompto knows them, kind of. They’ve been classmates all year, of course he does, but they’ve never held a long conversation before.

“Hi, Prompto! Hi, Prince Noctis!” she says, her voice filled with energy. “Soooo, prom is approaching…”

Noctis raises one eyebrow, closing his notebook momentarily.

“…and my friend and I wanted to know if you wanted to come with us!”

Oh.

Is this a date?

He looks over to Noctis, who’s also looking back at him, the same confusion Prompto feels reflected on his eyes.

“Sorry,” Noctis says, gently. “I’m in charge of prom this year, so I don’t think I’m gonna be taking anyone at all.”

Prompto feels a bit disappointed at that, for some reason. He tries to not let it show it, and he looks back at the two girls: they’re _nice_ , and sure, a date for prom would be nice, but…

But…

“I’m sorry too,” Prompto says as well. “Not really interested on a date.”

Noctis blinks at him, and the other two girls sigh. “That’s okay,” the other girl says. “Hope you two have a nice time at prom.”

They both leave soon after that, and Prompto whistles lowly. “I forgot you’re the prince for a second,” he turns around again to talk to Noctis. “You must be getting a lot of dates, aren’t you?”

“Not interested,” Noctis answers, going back to his planning. He jots down some things that Prompto doesn’t quite understand from where he’s sitting. “But I am. What about you? I thought you’d be excited to get a date.”

“Nah. I thought I would, but really? I’d rather not go with a date. I’ll have more fun if I stay with my best buddy, don’t you think?”

…And, if he’s being honest with himself, like _really_ honest — the only person he had in mind to invite for prom was sitting behind him, and. Well. His best friend had just said it — he’s not interested in taking anybody, and he’s busy to even do it.

A grin slowly appears on Noctis’ face. “Totally,” he agrees. “Plus, I need someone to suffer with me when I’m planning and who better than my _best buddy_?” he quotes back, and Prompto shoves him off.

“Screw you, Noct!”

“This is what you signed up for when you decided to talk to me,” Noctis says, sticking out his tongue. “Your fault, Prompto.”

The bell rings.

“Join me for lunch?”

“Of course,” Prompto says, already standing up. “If we hurry maybe we can call Ignis and get him to help us!”

 

 

Ignis _is_ helpful. They’re having lunch, sitting on their usual place in the cafeteria, and Ignis is on speakers. He only got _mildly_ annoyed that Noctis let him know about his prom plans this late, which is a winning situation for both of them. _Mildly annoyed Ignis_ is better than _Very Annoyed and Holding a Knife_ Ignis.

He’s been telling Noctis to write down everything he’s saying — companies that would do the decoration, where to hire the caterers, where to get a DJ, and Prompto just _has_ to ask him how in the world he knows all these things. Ignis only pushes his glasses up and smirks, and Prompto knows that’s the only answer he’s going to get. Twenty minutes later, they finally hang up on Ignis, and Noctis breathes in deeply.

“You want me to get you some more food?” Prompto asks him, patting his back sympathetically as Noctis’ head ends on the table. Noctis raises his thumb up, and that’s the only confirmation Prompto gets.

He goes back to choose food for them when he’s approached by a group of guys that Prompto recognizes as his classmates.

“Hey, Argentum,” the biggest one grins. “You think you’re free for a party after prom in my house?”

“Oh…” he stares back at the table where Noctis still looks like he’s dying on the table. “Well, um…”

“You should bring the prince, too,” pipes in another one of his classmates. “We know you guys are inseparable.”

Prompto laughs nervously. “Y-yeah, I’ll consider it…”

“You do that,” the big one grins again. “Hopefully we’ll see you both there!”

He thinks that’s _it_ , enough invitations, but he gets stopped three times more on his way to their table. Prompto’s sure these people have never spared a _glance_ for him, and suddenly all of them are trying to get him as their date or in their party? Something sketchy was going on, something…

“…you could bring the Prince, too! Sure he won’t mind coming to the party for you, right? Probably won’t mind paying for booze, as well!” winks one of his classmates, and…

That’s it.

They’re just using Prompto to get to the prince. Is that how everybody sees them? Do they all see Prompto like he’s leeching off him, only utilizing him for his royal title? And do they all see Prompto like that, as a gateway for them to get Noctis to pay for their shitty party?

He shakes his head, politely declining, and hurries to the table. What did Noctis think about him? Does he _think_ he’s only using him for whatever he had — does he think Prompto only cares about his money or his status? He really, really hopes he doesn’t… wouldn’t he tell Prompto if he did?

This is ridiculous. He hates how easy it is to influence his thoughts, because he knows Noctis wouldn’t think that about him — _but does he_?

He sits down next to Noctis anyway. Noctis lifts up his head, smiling at the food. “Took you long enough.”

“Yeah, sorry — people kept inviting me to their party,” he leaves out the whole internal crisis, because Noctis doesn’t need to know that.

“What did you say?”

“Rejected ‘em. I got plans with you after prom, silly.” Prompto grins. “Wouldn’t cancel them for any party.”

Noctis toys with his food a little. “…Do you _want_ to cancel them?”

“Huh?” Prompto frowns. “No… I don’t? Why?”

“Just… just asking,” Noctis takes a spoonful out of his cake. “You can. Like. You don’t need to be with me all times, if you don’t want.”

Prompto’s frown increases. Okay, where did _this_ come from? Prompto gets his own anxiety, he’s used to thoughts popping up whenever he doesn’t need them, but Noct? This is getting weird.

“I don’t want to cancel them,” he says firmly.

“Okay,” Noctis nods. “Just know you can, if you want.”

“Sure…” Prompto hums. “What are we doing later?”

“I think I’m going to talk to these people,” he gestures to the notebook with his hand. “You have the gym after this, don’t you?”

“Yeah, but if you need help, I can cancel it—”

“No, no,” Noctis smiles, but it comes off wrong. “Don’t let me stop you. It’s fine. I can do it.”

“…Okay,” Prompto sighs. “Whatever you say, dude.”

It’s a bit awkward after that. Prompto doesn’t know what to say – he’s never been in this situation with Noctis, where one of them wouldn’t know what to say to get out of an awkward atmosphere. In fact, there’s never been an _awkward_ atmosphere between them to begin with. They have one more class after lunch, and Noctis is too busy scribbling down on his notebook to even say something.

More people invite Prompto (“and the Prince, too”) over at his party. More people that Prompto rejects when he says he’s got plans, and Noctis grows a bit tenser each time, to the point when the bell rings again he quickly says goodbye to Prompto and basically runs off.

Prompto frowns at the door. What did he do _wrong_?

Maybe Noctis wanted to go to the parties? He goes over their little conversation, trying to pinpoint where it went wrong. Had something happened with Noctis? He doesn’t _think_ he did something wrong, for the first time in his life. It had to do something with the parties, for sure. Maybe Noctis wanted him to go? Maybe he’s… tired of him?

He stops.

Oh, Astrals. That’s what it is.

 

 

He goes over his day with the same practiced routine, except it’s a lot more tragic to do things when you’re busying yourself with thoughts on how your best friend hates you. It’s a big internal war in which he’s convinced Noctis _wouldn’t_ hate him versus his brain providing all the solid evidence he needs to know that yes, Noctis is tired of him and definitely hates him now.

He doesn’t text him. Prompto doesn’t text Noctis either.

Showering is _hell_ when the barcode seems to be mocking him, laughing at him — almost like saying, “Did you really think you were going to _belong_ somewhere?”

He blinks the tears away. Yes. He really thought that.

 

 

It’s not that Prompto’s life is completely _ruined_ now that Noctis is actively avoiding him, it’s just… it’s really lonely again. He considers Ignis and Gladio to be his friends too, of course, but Noctis has always been special to him. Noctis is _Noctis_ , he’s his go-to person, his best friend, and… you know… person-he-has-a-big-crush-on. Noctis is warm, and he’s happy, and he’s comfortable, and he’s everything Prompto associates with fun.

Now it’s lonely. He’s being so overdramatic — he hasn’t spoken to him in four days and he’s already acting like he and Noctis haven’t spoken in eighty-seven years.

 (It kind of feels like eighty-seven years, though, that’s the thing.)

He doesn’t hit up the arcade and instead wastes two hours at the gym. Again, he thinks about a way to spend the time before he goes to his job and thinks about going to the supermarket just to buy shit. Just to have something to do.

So there he is, going through the supermarket buying unnecessary things — he’s bought five different candles even though his house has enough of them for a lifetime. When he’s putting on his cart ingredients for pancakes, someone pats his shoulder.

“Prompto,” Ignis greets. Gladio is next to him, smiling a bit. “Ah, I am glad it is you. I thought I had gotten the wrong person for a moment.”

“Iggy,” Prompto grins. “I didn’t know you still shopped here.”

“Everything is cheaper here,” Gladio comments behind their cart. “He tries to not look like he’s cheap, but Iggy’s the kind of person who buys things on discounts so it’s not as expensive.”

“May I request for this shaming to stop,” asks Ignis, clearly not irritated.  “But yes. It is quite cheap over here, and the products are good quality, almost as good as the shops near the Citadel.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re having fun.”

“Wait,” Ignis grabs his arm to keep him in place. Prompto raises one eyebrow in confusion. He wasn’t planning on leaving, so… “Are you alright? I have not seen you in four days, and I am more than used to seeing you every day.”

“Oh..:” Prompto gulps. Yeah, he’s usually at Noctis’ apartment after school and after his job. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

Ignis frowns slightly.

Prompto doesn’t bother to put up a half-assed excuse as to why he’s not going to Noctis’ apartment, so he lets them fill the missing information.

“Well, Royal Brattiness isn’t okay,” Gladio sighs deeply. Prompto’s immediately alarmed.

“Wait, what? What happened to him?”

“He’s working, that’s what’s happening,” he continues. “Kid doesn’t throw himself on his work unless something is wrong.”

Ignis hums in agreement. “He is fine, physically, but I doubt he’s alright mentally. As Gladio put it, Noct is very dedicated to his work, but when he immerses himself to _only_ be working — that’s when something’s wrong. May I guess that you two had a fight?”

Prompto sighs. Now he’s worried about Noct, and he can’t even _shoot_ him a text. “Well, not a fight,” he says, slumping down on his cart. “He just… started avoiding me. I don’t know what I did wrong, and I don’t wanna bother him.”

“He started avoiding _you_?” Gladio asks, frowning. “That’s odd.”

“It is indeed,” Ignis agrees. “Any ideas what might have caused this?”

“Nope, not at all,” Prompto confesses. “I don’t know what to do.”

Gladio reaches out and pats him on his back. “I’m sure it’s not your fault, kid. We’ll help you.”

“Are you?”

“But of course,” Ignis says. “You are both our friends, and we quite enjoy seeing you together. I will talk to Noct tonight about this.”

The relief that washes over Prompto is overwhelming. “Thank you so much,” he breathes out, and both Ignis and Gladio chuckle heartedly at him. “I owe you two a big one.”

“Not at all,” Gladio grins. “Seeing you and Royal Sulkiness happy will be our payback.”

“Actually, if you happen to have any coupons for this supermarket, I would be very happy to receive them as my payment.”

Prompto laughs loudly for the first time in days.

 

 

He’s taking photos of everything on his way home. It’s relaxing this time to observe the night sky and the stars and deciding to take photos of it. The moon shines brightly, and Prompto kind of loses track of time as he keeps snapping pics, sitting down on top of the hill to get the right angle.

He goes over the photos and when the moon pictures inevitably turn into Noctis, he has to let out a big sigh. It’s so _stupid_. This whole situation could be solved by him just _texting_ Noctis and asking what happened, but alas — anxiety is such a good friend to him!

He puts down the camera and decides to just stare at the sea — he knows his camera won’t do justice to it anyway, so he’ll be better off taking mental pictures. He… god, he’s usually at Noctis’ place eating whatever Iggy prepares for dinner, playing videogames or doing homework that should’ve been done hours ago. He doesn’t _miss_ the apartment, he doesn’t _miss_ a home or whatever the _fuck_ that is — he just misses Noctis. He misses Noctis and the way he makes him feel. Stupid, stupid, stupid feelings.

It’s frustrating, because he’s never felt less at home than right now.

He sleeps with the wristband on, just to remind himself that for once, it’s not _its_ fault that this happened.

 

 

 

His phone is buzzing when he’s barely awake. He picks up, yawning. “Who’s this?”

“Noctis,” and suddenly Prompto is _awake_. “Hey, you wanna meet up at the cafeteria to chat?”

“Yeah, sure,” he says, trying to not get too excited. “See you there.”

“See you.”

Prompto has never gotten out of bed quicker than right now.

 

 

 

He finds Noctis sitting in their usual booth, already eating a muffin, and Prompto ungracefully plops down on the seat across him. Noctis smiles a little, and _astrals_ , he’s missed that face so much.

“Hey,” Prompto says.

“Hey,” Noctis says back, and swallows. He opens his mouth and closes it, and finally, he starts: “I’m sorry for being such a bad friend.”

Okay, so Prompto kind of expected an apology. But _that_ apology?

“…What do you mean?”

“I’m a bad friend,” he repeats. “I…”

“You…”

“Hang on,” he chuckles nervously. “I rehearsed this apology this morning.”

He takes a deep breath and begins again.

“When you kept rejecting all those invitations for me, I realized I’m keeping you all to myself,” blushing slightly, Noctis carries on. “And that’s bad. You’re… amazing, and everyone should be your friend. But I realized I’m being shitty when you just hang out with me. I’m being selfish and I thought maybe giving you space would be a good idea, but I did it awfully. I didn’t mean to ignore you. I fucked up.”

“Noct…” Prompto breathes out. Holy _fuck_. And Prompto thought he _hated_ him. “I accept your apologies. But.”

“But?”

“You’re not keeping me to yourself,” saying that out loud makes him go bright red. Prompto doesn’t let that stop him. “We hang out together because we _both_ want to hang out together. You’re not forcing me or anything, dude.”

“…I’m not?”

“Nope,” he grins a bit. “I’m with you because I _want_ to be with you. I rejected those invitations because I don’t want to hang out with them, and they don’t want to hang out with _us_ — they’re just trying to get _you_ to their party because you’re the Prince.”

“Really?”

Prompto nods. “Besides… you’re like, my best friend ever. I will always prefer to hang out with you than them.”

Noctis flushes a bit. It’s kind of endearing. “You’re my best friend, too.”

“But,” Prompto says again. “You did fuck up by avoiding me.”

Noctis winces. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Prompto waves his hand. “I didn’t text you at all either. We both fucked up in different ways.”

“Are we okay?” Noctis asks, hopefully, and Prompto just has to laugh.

“Of course we’re okay,” he says. It feels like the entire world lifted up from his shoulders. “It’s gonna take a bit more than that to get rid of me.”

Noctis shakes his head, laughing slightly. “Good to know.” Hesitantly, he adds, “But for real — let’s not go through this again. I missed your ugly face.”

Prompto smiles so widely it hurts a bit. “I missed your ugly face, too.”

“Here,” he slides the menu to Prompto, “order whatever you want. I owe it to you.”

“ _Aw_ , my prince is so kind,” he laughs, and it’s a bit endearing how Noctis can get so flustered in one sentence.

The peace he feels is indescribable.

 

 

Prom is _tonight_ , so half of the day he follows Noctis around as he explains how his preparations are completely ready and how basically immersing himself on his job led him to be very productive when it came to the prom thing.

“I leave for one day and you’re productive,” Prompto shakes his head, laughing.

“You’re a bad influence,” Noctis says. “Luckily, all I need to do is to check everything is on place, and then we go get dressed because I worked hard and I deserve to be here.”

“You sure do, buddy,” he claps his back playfully. “We’re gonna have such a wild night.”

“Yeah,” his friend agrees. “We’re gonna be so wild playing videogames all night.”

“Rebellious teens!” Prompto makes a pause. "Or, rebellious adults, I guess?"

Noctis laughs with him. Out of nowhere, he reaches out and squeezes Prompto’s shoulder without any type of explanation. He really must’ve missed him if he’s being this affectionate. That’s okay, Prompto thinks, bumping their shoulders together.

He missed him that much as well.

 

 

 

“I feel like I should be having more fun,” Noctis yells over the loud music. “I’m pretty bored.”

“Same!” Prompto yells back. “Prom isn’t that fun!”

Noctis chuckles, and as if it’s a miracle, the loud music quiets down. Noctis gasps. “I can hear my own thoughts again.”

“What happened to the music?” asks Prompto, confused.

“I think they’re gonna play a slow one now.” Truth to his word, a slow one begins. Noctis extends his hand. “Do you want to?”

Prompto flushes slightly, but he accepts his hand anyways. He’s close, and the thing is – he and Noctis are the same height, so he can’t escape his eyes. Oddly enough, Prompto finds out he doesn’t want to escape him. He’s missed him. He’s missed his eyes.

“I’m sorry again,” Noctis says softly, only for him to hear. “I really missed you.”

Prompto swallows. Is it getting hot in here? Why is his throat so dry? “Dude, I missed you a lot too. Let’s not do that again.”

“We won’t,” his hand holds Prompto’s waist securely. Prompto doesn’t care if he’s not dancing correctly – this moment is _magical_.

They don’t exchange many words, but he feels like he’s saying _so_ much by staring at him. It’s like in the movies, where they don’t need any words, just actions. He’s not sure what to _do_ , because so many thoughts race through his head that holding Noctis seems to be enough for now.

Until Noctis starts leaning in, then it’s not enough anymore.

Noctis never closes the distance like Prompto expected him to. He just stares at Prompto, noses touching, and out of nowhere says: “You got so many freckles.”

Prompto lets out an incredulous laugh. “Really, dude? That’s all you have to say?”

“ _What?_ It’s the truth!”

Their mood ends as they start laughing and the music ends. In retrospective, maybe it’s better if they didn’t kiss there. The little knowing glance they keep exchanging throughout the night is more than enough for Prompto.

 

 

 

Prompto nudges Noctis with his knee at one in the morning when they’re playing videogames.

“Hey. We’re out of school!”

Noctis turns around to stare at him, almost like he realized it now. “Holy crap. You’re right!” he throws himself back on the sofa, a small smile forming on his lips. “Never gonna write another essay again.”

“Up top,” he offers his hand, and Noctis doesn’t even hesitate to high-five him back. “Man, you know, it was stressful, but I don’t regret anything.”

“I regret waking up so early every day.”

Prompto laughs.

“For real. High school led me to you,” it’s not the _full_ story, a dog, Lady Lunafreya, and elementary school led him to Noctis. “And… I’m so…” he clenches his fist a little. “I’m happy we’ve met.”

Noctis doesn’t say anything. He grabs Prompto and pulls him into a hug — probably the tightest Noctis has ever hugged him ever (not counting birthday hugs). He breaks apart a little, and there’s just something unspoken between them — something that tells them it’s time to _do_ it. So Prompto does. He puts his hand on Noctis’ cheek, leans in, and kisses him.

He can’t tell what’s the best part out of this — their closeness, Noctis hand on his waist, the warmth spreading on his chest, or the kiss itself. It’s faster than he expected it to be, but that might be because it’s been _so_ long that a slow kiss wouldn’t have worked out for them. They break apart, but Noctis keeps him close, his other hand coming up to Prompto’s cheek.

“Holy crap,” he says, almost whispering. “We did that.”

Prompto laughs. “We sure did, buddy.”

It must’ve been a pretty good kiss, because Noctis smiles and kisses him once more, forgetting all about the videogame they were playing. He kisses him once, twice, thrice — until Prompto loses track of time and all that matters is Noctis.

 _Home is where your heart is_.

He might not have a place to call _home_ , but his heart is with Noctis, and the feeling he has right now is pretty much feeling like home.

 

 

* * *

 

 

He hasn’t been in Insomnia for a good while now.

He feels sad about his house, about everything that happened, but to his surprise he doesn’t feel homesick. Every time he thinks about Insomnia, Noctis sweeps right in with a smile, a kiss, or a hug, and he wonders how someone could feel so much like when he used to be at home.

 

* * *

 

 

Prompto hasn’t been home in ten years.

He wonders if he’ll ever be home again.

 

 

* * *

 

He awakes when the sun starts to filter through his curtains. He’s missed the sun and whatnot, but he didn’t miss the part where its annoying rays of light would enter his room and wake him up. He turns around to find Noctis fast asleep, completely unbothered, and Prompto smiles.

Slowly, he runs his fingers through his long hair, hands wandering over to his beard, causing Noctis to stir a little.

“Hngh… Prompto… it’s too early,” he groans, stirring closer to Prompto, putting his arm around him.

Prompto laughs softly. He lures Noctis back to sleep by pressing small kisses to his forehead and playing with his hair.

He stares at him, fast asleep, and suddenly it clicks for Prompto.

He almost wants to punch himself — it took him _fifteen years_ to realize it.

A place to call home—

Home is where your heart is—

It’s never been a _place_.

Prompto chuckles, holding Noctis tighter.

“You’re home.”

**Author's Note:**

> prompto: lucis is my home!!!!!!!!!  
> me:  
> me: (opens word) please tell me more my son, 
> 
>  
> 
> [be my friend ;A;](http://twitter.com/joshriku/)  
> 


End file.
